Gambling Stories

This hybrid work combines actual history of the above-ground atomic testing of 1953 with fictional vignettes. Ronald explores the impact of the tests on the participants and on civilian downwinders. Most details are factual, but the characters are fictional composites of people impacted by that fateful year. 231 Pgs. 2010

Looks at 21 movies with a gambling theme, some more serious and in depth on the subject than others. Dement analyzes them from the point of responsibility or irresponsibility: The filmmakers ability to address the problem of compulsive gambling, and the film's strengths and weaknesses. Simply, how realistic and accurate were these films, seen by millions of people in theaters and on television throughout the world? Titles include 'The Gambler' with James Caan, 'California...

A savage journey to the heart of Hunter S. Thompson's Las Vegas, with the Good Doctor as tour guide. A Lord of the Rings-like adventure in the city's underground flood channels. A seven-day stay at a seedy motel on East Fremont Street. The stories in My Week at the Blue Angel aren't about Steve Wynn, Cirque du Soleil, or how to play poker and they aren't set in Caesar's Palace, XS Nightclub, or a 2,000-seat showroom. They're about prostitutes, ex-cons, and the homeless and they're set under...

Explores old-time gamesmanship in America from riverboats to racetracks, and the legal and illegal history of gambling in pre-World War I America. From notorious gambling havens like Chicago and New Orleans to lesser-known outposts in Indiana and Ohio, Asbury examines the gambling houses, big and small. Details the lives of some of America's most famous gamblers, including Mike McDonald, John Morrissey, and Richard Canfield, and their infamous counterparts like Canada Bill and Charley Black...

O'Connor describes the mystery and excitement of Las Vegas in the 1950s and 60s. Some of the characters he pictures are famous, others are little known people of the streets. This was the era of the Rat Pack with Dean Martin dealing 21 at the Sands for fun and Frank Sinatra getting into fist fights with hotel managers. It was a time when you handed five bucks to the show room captain and you got a seat close to the stage for any show, except Frank and Dean. O'Connor brings you into the lives...

This anthology starts with the Bible and ends with Hunter Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). It's a fascinating collection of excerpts from all literary genres, all focusing on the central theme of gambling. Indexed 241 pages Hardcover 1996

Konik is a contributor to Cigar Aficionado, Sports Illustrated, GQ, Forbes and Travel and Leisure, covering the gaming world for the trendy and upscale magazines, talking about cheats and legitimate players, interviewing professional gamblers, exposing touts, and giving readers an inside, close-up look at what it’s like in the world of gambling. As for the title of this collection of articles (which appeared in some of the magazines mentioned above), Konik interviews a fearless...

Las Vegas was largely shaped by a handful of colorful and astute casino operators who turned a dusty desert town into the gaudy, booming holiday mecca that it is today. The essays in this book introduce us to these players. We discover how early leaders like Cliff Jones, Moe Dalitz and Benny Binion first grasped Las Vegas’s potential as a center for high-stakes gambling, and we read of mobster Bugsy Siegel’s efforts to bring to reality another man’s dream of a glamorous...